Boxing Notebook: Corrales-Castillo III Should Be Mucho Macho!

Summary: Saturday is the final clash between Diego "Chico" Corrales (40-3, 33 KOs) and Jose Luis Castillo (54-7-1, 47 KOs) for the lightweight championship of the world. Though 70 pounds south, they're true heavyweights.

Code Red! Code Red! Saturday is the final clash between Diego "Chico" Corrales (40-3, 33 KOs) and Jose Luis Castillo (54-7-1, 47 KOs) for the lightweight championship of the world. Though 70 pounds south, they're true heavyweights. Sportsbook odds are Castillo -220, Corrales +180 - based on what? Tale of the tape: Corrales, 28, is a lightweight freak, 5-11 with a half-inch fist, forearm and thigh advantage over the 5-8, 32-year-old Castillo - plus a one inch bigger expanded chest, reach, bicep and calf. Castillo needs a ladder to reach him (on paper). Corrales has had great success against smaller, aggressive guys. Castillo is strong enough mentally and big enough physically (He demonstrated that last time with Chico) to mete out plenty of pain of his own. But the physical discrepancies don't apply here. "Chico" doesn't fight tall. He likes to walk in and unload hooks and rights - bang on the inside, fight short. He likes it physical. Reviewing their first bout, I was amazed at Corrales' success when he made space. When he pushed off on Castillo and attacked from the outside, he was effective dropping right hands and short hooks. He used the jab to control the pace - Castillo had no answers. So, why doesn't he stick with it? He's like the guy that threw himself on cactus and when asked why said: "It seemed like a good idea at the time." Think back to Corrales-Casamayor II. Stick and move. Outbox the guy. Corrales' trainer, Joe Goossen, should put it in letters of fire on a ringside billboard. Also, Castillo is prone to cuts. Spear him with the jab; open the scar tissue. Double-jab - right over the top, keep moving. Do that all night, and Corrales gets the W. But, it isn't a safe bet. Chin Check: Corrales is no stranger to the canvas. Floyd Mayweather dropped him five times one night. Castillo and Joel Casamayor scored five knockdowns and one knockout against him. You can develop muscles, strengthen your mind, but you can't train a chin. Plus, Castillo has found something with that short left hook. In a recent FHM interview, Corrales analyzed the punch: "I got a left hook in that second fight and that was purely my mistake. I caught him with my right hand, and he was ready for it. I felt him pulling himself down and really losing some steam. I need to make sure my hand is at home and never cocked." You can read the full interview here: http://www.fhmus.com/articles-1267.asp?cnl_id=5&stn_id=46&idx_id=1267 These guys bristle with macho. Expect the first few rounds to be more controlled: Corrales moving and setting the pace. Once Castillo breaks through, it's "MACHO TIME". I'll agree with the sportsbook odds - if Corrales' chin holds up, he'll land enough punches to eke out a split decision. Jhonny Gonzalez-Fernando Montiel: Is it over yet? Who made this fight? Was this a Barrera concoction? Maybe law school has him out of touch. Being Guatemalan, I can relate to the poor souls who were expecting a slugfest and got a snoozefest. Look, when you match Mexicans, you don't expect Leonard vs. Benitez. To Latinos boxing equals fighting. Hit and get hit. We don't want a ballet. After a 12-hour shift, getting a crap paycheck, my wife yelling at me and my car breaking down